Budhni bypolls: Shivraj Chouhan's aide rallies ahead after initial setback

Budhni Assembly bypolls result 2024: After trailing in the early trends, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ramakant Bhargava has made a strong comeback, now leading with 26,540 votes in the Budhni (Madhya Pradesh) Assembly bypolls.

 

The bypolls in Budhni were necessitated after Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan vacated this seat following his victory in the Lok Sabha elections of June. BJP’s Bhargava, who is ahead by a margin of 1,809 votes, is Chouhan’s close aide. 

 

Congress’ Rajkumar Patel, who was leading in the initial two rounds, is trailing behind with 24,731 votes. The latest counting trends suggest a close race with 10 rounds of counting left to determine the final outcome of the bypolls.

Shivraj Chouhan’s Lok Sabha innings

Chouhan, who had led Madhya Pradesh for 18 years, was hoping to return as Chief Minister in the 2023 Assembly elections. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to sideline him fearing potential voter fatigue in the crucial polls. The saffron party instead chose a fresh face, Mohan Yadav. Following the Lok Sabha elections, Chouhan was inducted into the Union Cabinet and assigned the agriculture portfolio.

 

Besides Budhni, MP’s Vijaypur Assembly seat is also up for grabs. The polling for these seats was held on November 13, alongside bypolls in multiple states and the first phase of the Assembly elections in Jharkhand. 

 

Vijaypur saw a high voter turnout at  77.85 per cent and 77.32 per cent in Budhni. In Vijaypur, the bypolls were triggered by the resignation of Congress MLA Ramniwas Rawat, who joined the ruling BJP and was subsequently inducted into the cabinet. Rawat is contesting the bypolls on a BJP ticket and is leading by 6,000 votes, as of 12 pm.